What the heck!!!

Seeing that Orochimaru had called him greedy, Yusuke shook his head and said slowly, "This is a Tailed Beast. A little Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid and a mere two pieces of information aren't nearly enough in value."

Although he said that, Yusuke knew that the Hashirama Cells Fusion Liquid and the two pieces of information he'd asked for were already worth a great deal. But this was a transaction, after all, and he still had to push for the best deal he could get.

Orochimaru snorted. "Go on, then. But I don't want to hear the word 'fifth' today."

Yusuke knew not to push his luck, so he smiled. "Don't worry. This is my last request."

"My younger sister Izumi has recently started training in swordsmanship, but she doesn't have a suitable weapon. I'd like to ask you for a Kusanagi Sword."

In the Naruto world, "Kusanagi Sword" didn't refer to a single sword. It was a general term for a category of swords. Yusuke knew Orochimaru had more than one, but the exact number he possessed and their origins had always been a mystery.

In the original story, Orochimaru had brought out several Kusanagi Swords. For example, the one he'd used against the Third Hokage during the Chunin Ninja Exams had been caught by Enma and left behind in Konoha. He'd also used an extendable Kusanagi Sword against the Nine-Tails Naruto at Tenchi Bridge.

Later, when Orochimaru took Sasuke away, he gave Sasuke one as well. Clearly, he had quite a few in stock.

Besides Orochimaru's swords, the Totsuka Blade wielded by Itachi's Susanoo was also a Kusanagi Sword. It was said to be the strongest of them all, earning it the title "Sword of Sealing."

Hearing Yusuke's request, Orochimaru opened his mouth. A wet hilt slowly emerged from it.

Seeing this, Yusuke hurriedly stopped him. He didn't want to give his sister a sword covered in Orochimaru's saliva.

"Wait. Could you give me a different one?"

At his words, Orochimaru's face darkened. He swallowed the sword back down, then spat out a scroll.

The scroll landed on the sand at Yusuke's feet and unfurled. On it was a storage seal, with a sweeping, calligraphic "sword" character written in the center.

"Release!"

Orochimaru formed a release Hand Seal, and an elegant longsword slowly emerged from the seal on the scroll.

The blade was hidden inside its scabbard, and both the scabbard and hilt were white. Two pink ribbons embroidered with cherry blossoms fluttered from the end of the hilt in the wind.

Yusuke picked up the sword and drew it from its scabbard. In an instant, a dazzling flash of light, as brilliant as cherry blossoms, bloomed beneath the moon, breathtakingly beautiful.

"What a fine sword!"

Admiring the beautiful cherry-blossom pattern on the blade, Yusuke praised it, then asked Orochimaru, "What's it called?"

Orochimaru replied slowly, "Kikyo Senraku Sakura."

Yusuke sheathed the sword, satisfied. "I'm sure Izumi will love it. Thank you."

"Now that our transaction is over, Yusuke, shouldn't you hand Shukaku over to me as promised?" Orochimaru said.

As cautious as ever, Orochimaru wasn't about to seal Shukaku in front of Yusuke. He planned to take Shukaku away first and deal with it at his leisure.

Yusuke nodded and formed a Hand Seal with his right hand. The four Fire Clones maintaining the Four Purple Flame Array all vanished in a burst of flame, and the barrier disappeared at once.

At the same time, a white serpent nearly two hundred meters long emerged from behind Orochimaru. It coiled several times around the barely conscious Shukaku, binding him tightly.

Yusuke could sense the powerful sealing force carried by the white serpent. Once it had wrapped around Shukaku, there was no chance of escape.

"Then, Yusuke, until we meet again."

Having obtained Shukaku, Orochimaru didn't linger. After bidding Yusuke farewell, he slowly sank into the sand, taking Shukaku, still wrapped in the white serpent, with him.

Watching Orochimaru sink into the sand, Yusuke said slowly, "Until we meet again, Orochimaru."

"And one more thing: your current style of dress really doesn't suit you. You should think about changing."

Orochimaru had changed into an outfit with a thick rope wrapped around his waist and tied into a bow at the back. To Yusuke, the look was baffling.

At Yusuke's words, the faintly pleased expression on Orochimaru's face—he'd just captured Shukaku—froze. He still hadn't recovered by the time he disappeared completely beneath the sand.

Yusuke put the Kusanagi Sword, Kikyo Senraku Sakura, into a Storage Scroll and immediately returned to the Post House.

Although he hadn't managed to obtain the One-Tail Shukaku's Yin Release Chakra this time, he'd still gained a great deal, getting many useful things and pieces of information from Orochimaru.

However, Orochimaru's performance had also left Yusuke with some serious concerns.

Orochimaru was already far stronger than he'd been at this point in the original story. With the power of the Yin-Yang Cursed Seal and the strength he'd gain after sealing Shukaku, he'd be even harder to deal with. If Yusuke ever faced him in the future, Orochimaru would give him a serious headache.

Two days after Yusuke's deal with Orochimaru, the second round of the Chunin Ninja Exams came to an end.

The pass rate was about the same as usual. Only around thirty percent of the Genin teams passed the second round. Some of the teams that failed had even died in the Desert of Demons. The ninja world was cruel, to say the least.

Only nine teams remained. Both of Konoha's participating teams had passed the second round.

After announcing that the Genin would have a day to rest before the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams, the examiner explained that it was the final round and would focus on each Genin's individual combat ability.

The examiners would use an electronic device to randomly select the Genin who would compete, matching them in pairs. The winner of each round would advance, while the loser would be eliminated.

The exams would officially end once the final victor had been decided.

The Sunagakure examination team would then assess the results of all three rounds and draw up recommendations on which participating Genin should be promoted. These recommendations would be sent to the respective Genin's villages.

The team only made recommendations because the decision to promote a village's Genin to Chunin wasn't up to the organizers of the exams. The final decision still rested with each village.

After all, the joint Chunin Exams served a greater political purpose than a practical one. They weren't held solely to select Chunin.

Inside the Post House where Konoha's delegation was staying, Anko endured the pain as the Heaven Curse Seal on her shoulder flared up.

Seeing Anko drenched in cold sweat, everyone was deeply concerned for her, but they also admired her willpower.

Not long after the second round began, the Heaven Curse Seal on Anko's body had flared up. The others couldn't know what it felt like, but from the look of her, they could tell the pain must have been unbearable.

During that time, both Itachi and Kurama Naki had repeatedly suggested giving up on the exams and first finding a way to deal with Anko's Cursed Seal. Anko had refused every time.

Under those circumstances, Anko had somehow endured for three whole days. Even Itachi couldn't help but admire his cheerful, easygoing senior.

"Is this the Cursed Seal Orochimaru left behind? I'm ashamed to say it, but I really don't know how to deal with it." Hayama frowned as he looked at the Cursed Seal glowing red on Anko's shoulder.

Though she was deeply frustrated, Anko forced a smile. "It's fine. Even if I quit now, it won't affect Itachi and Naki taking part in the third round."

Yusuke gently patted her head and smiled. "Don't worry. I still want you to show off in the third round."

"After all, this was my oversight. If I'd noticed your Cursed Seal from the beginning, you wouldn't have had to suffer for these three days."

At Yusuke's words, all the Genin turned to look at him. Some were surprised, some hopeful, and most of all, they were impressed.

From what Yusuke had said, everyone could tell he knew how to deal with the Cursed Seal.

In the Genin's eyes, Yusuke, a senior who wasn't much older than them, was already incredibly strong. They hadn't expected him to be skilled in Sealing Jutsu as well, capable of dealing with a Cursed Seal that even Hayama, a veteran Elite Jonin, was helpless against.

"Yusuke, are you really sure you can do it? This is Orochimaru's Cursed Seal. It can't be that simple," Hayama asked.

He had great faith in Yusuke's strength, but he remained skeptical that Yusuke could handle a Cursed Seal placed by one of the Sannin.

Yusuke nodded. "I can suppress it for now, but I'll need to think of a way to remove it completely."

In fact, Yusuke already knew how to remove the Heaven Curse Seal from Anko's body. But doing so would reveal too many of his abilities, so he needed to wait for the right opportunity before helping her get rid of it for good.

With that, Yusuke wasted no more time and immediately prepared to apply the seal. Anko was already suffering terribly, and every second of delay was torture for her.

After setting up the sealing array, Yusuke began forming Hand Seals.

"Tiger—Rabbit—Snake—Horse—Ram—Rooster—Tiger—Rabbit—Snake—Horse—Ram—Rooster—Tiger—Rabbit—Snake—Horse—Ram—Rooster—Dog—Rat"

The Hand Seals Yusuke formed were extremely complicated. It was the same sealing technique Kakashi had used to seal Sasuke's Heaven Curse Seal in the original story.

"Evil Sealing Method!"

When he finished forming the Hand Seals, several powerful Chakra-infused characters appeared on the tip of Yusuke's right index finger. As he pressed that finger against the Heaven Curse Seal on Anko's shoulder, a ring of sealing script slowly appeared around it.

Once the sealing script appeared, the dark red glow on the Heaven Curse Seal gradually faded until it vanished completely, leaving the seal black once more.

Because Yusuke was far more proficient in Sealing Jutsu than Kakashi, performing the Evil Sealing Method was much simpler for him, and its effect was even better.

"It worked!"

Seeing that the Cursed Seal had clearly calmed down, Kurama Naki hugged Anko and cheered.

Over the past few days, she'd become very close friends with Anko. Now that Anko's Cursed Seal had been dealt with, she was relieved.

The others were just as delighted.

"Thank you!" Anko looked at Yusuke, feeling both touched and a little embarrassed.

Yusuke waved a hand and smiled. "You're my subordinate now. Make sure you do well in tomorrow's exam!"

"Got it!" Anko nodded seriously, resolving to show Yusuke what she was really capable of.

The next day, at the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

The stands were packed with spectators. Most of Sunagakure's senior officials, including Fourth Kazekage Rasa, had come, along with many officials from the Land of Wind.

As representatives of Konoha, Yusuke and Hayama sat in the guest seats not far from the Fourth Kazekage, with a good view of the matches.

After the examiner announced the rules, the electronic screen above the arena began selecting the Genin for the first match. Everyone fixed their eyes on the portraits flashing across the screen, guessing who the randomly selected opponents would be.

"First match: Mitaraishi Anko of Konoha versus Uchiha Itachi of Konoha," the examiner announced, looking at the names of the two Genin displayed on the screen.

Anko, who'd been eager to show what she could do after resolving her Cursed Seal problem, froze for a moment, then couldn't help blurting out a curse.

"What the heck!!!"

As always, thanks for all your support!!!

(●`●)(●`●)

P.S.:

1. The name of the Kusanagi Sword, Kikyo Senraku Sakura, was inspired by the famous Japanese sword Kikyo Sento no Tsuki.

2. Japanese swords and sabers aren't usually distinguished from one another. For example, although many samurai say they practice swordsmanship, most of what they train with are single-edged swords.